Kitchener overage sniper would be good fit with Rangers

Derek Schoenmakers

The Kitchener Rangers have an open overage slot on their roster and are on the hunt for some scoring punch.

Meanwhile, Kitchener native Derek Schoenmakers has yet to report to the Peterborough Petes after being traded east by the Windsor Spitfires late last week.

The gritty winger is off to the best start of his Ontario Hockey League career with nine goals and four assists through 24 games. That would put him fifth in scoring among Rangers.

But there is no movement on East Avenue as Kitchener prepares to host the London Knights Tuesday at the Aud.

Schoenmakers continues to sit on the sidelines and weigh his options. He’ll either head to the last place Petes, get traded or retire from junior hockey and pursue a post-secondary school education, possibly at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The Rangers were eyeing the veteran this past summer when they had three open overage spots. The team has since filled two of them with forwards Domenic Alberga and Nick Czinder.

“I haven’t talked to Peterborough,” said Rangers’ general manager and head coach Steve Spott. “Do I think he’s a quality player and person? Sure I do. But no one has called me.”

Schoenmakers’ offence would be an upgrade over Alberga and Czinder, who have combined for one goal and two assists this season. But the price for the local lad was too steep this past summer, according to Spott.

The 20-year-old, who was Sudbury property at the time, cost Windsor a second and third round selection in the OHL draft. Windsor flipped the forward with blueliner Brandon Devlin to Peterborough in exchange for defenceman Trevor Murphy and ex-Rangers’ winger Zach Lorentz this past Thursday.

Schoenmakers has not joined the Petes, adding to the speculation that he may be on the move to his fifth OHL club since 2011. Neither Schoenmakers nor the Petes returned calls to The Record Monday.

Schoenmakers grew up idolizing the Rangers and spent almost every Friday night at the Aud. When asked earlier this year about landing in Kitchener for his final junior season, he said “it would have been cool.”

Spott is in no rush to fill the overage void or boost his club via trade, even though he may lose up to five players for about a month to world junior hockey championship commitments in December.

“I don’t think there is a time line on it,” he said. “It’s about getting the right fit.”

The skipper says that, in a perfect world, the mystery overager will be a veteran defenceman. But that doesn’t mean a player such as Schoenmakers isn’t tempting. After all, the club’s biggest need is in the offensive zone.

“I think it’s clear as day that our challenge is in scoring and I think that’s an area we need to address,” said Spott.

The problem is that few teams are ready to unload their prized possessions, even with the Jan. 10th trade deadline in sight.

“Everybody is trying to make the playoffs and I don’t think any team is mathematically eliminated yet, so I think there is still a lot of parity and managers are thinking which way they’re going to go,” said Spott.

Adding to the equation is the ongoing NHL labour dispute. The stalemate has OHL clubs reluctant to make moves on top tier talent for fear that they’ll be called up to the show if a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.
jbrown@therecord.com